COLLEGES; Hibbert Is Helping to Restore Big Man U.

By ADAM HIMMELSBACH

Published: November 16, 2006

When Roy Hibbert was in elementary school, he followed the Georgetown men's basketball team the way other children followed ice cream trucks. But when the Hoyas' games were televised on school nights, Hibbert's parents often sent their only child to bed before the final buzzer.

Undeterred, he would cram pillows under his sheets to make it look as if he was asleep, he said. Then he would crawl under his bed to watch the rest of the game on a small black-and-white television, giving new meaning to the term floor general. But Hibbert was 6 foot 6 in sixth grade, so his legs sometimes stretched into view, and his cover was blown.

''My mom knew most of the tricks,'' said Hibbert, now a 7-2 center for Georgetown.

Hibbert was born in Flushing, Queens, and his family moved to Adelphi, Md., when he was an infant. He has grown into a throwback of a classic post player, which has become nearly extinct in men's college basketball, and he is helping to re-establish Georgetown as Big Man U., the place where centers hone their craft before starring in the N.B.A.

Last season Hibbert averaged 11.6 points and 6.9 rebounds as he helped the Hoyas to the N.C.A.A. tournament's Round of 16, where they fell to Florida, the eventual national champion, 57-53.

''In the past we just wanted Roy to be comfortable with what we were doing,'' Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said. ''Now we want him to the point where he can take over games.''

Dwayne Bryant was at a Washington-area A.A.U. tournament in 1997, before he took over as coach of Georgetown Preparatory School. He noticed a boy towering above the sixth-graders, standing flat-footed as he grabbed rebounds and blocked shots.

When Hibbert enrolled at Georgetown Prep three years later, Bryant realized he was the boy from the tournament, and he could not believe he was just a freshman. Although Hibbert cut a massive figure at 6-9, he also had a youthful innocence.

''He was a big fan of Pok?n,'' Bryant said in a telephone interview. ''During games we used to tell him, 'Power up, big fella. Power up.' Then he'd kind of get this look on his face like he was going to get busy.''

That year, Bryant, who played for Georgetown from 1987-90, brought Hibbert to the campus to watch pickup games involving Hoyas alumni like Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo. As a sophomore, Hibbert gave an oral commitment to attend Georgetown, and then he began playing in those games. Well, he tried.

Hibbert would often fall after rising to dunk the ball, leading the former Hoyas to call him Bambi. So he started laying the ball in.

''I got tossed around like it was nothing,'' Hibbert said. ''People were scoring game point on me and I'd get frustrated. I didn't know if I could do this.''

The doubts lingered into his freshman season. At team weightlifting sessions, Hibbert's 290-pound frame belied his strength; he said he could not do one pushup. At practices, he was slowed by his uneasy gait. He averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds.

The following summer, the former Georgetown center Michael Sweetney, who now plays for the Chicago Bulls, told Hibbert about a three-mile loop around the university's hilly campus. Hibbert rose for 8 a.m. workouts that included a trip along that circuit. The results were noticeable last season, when Hibbert doubled his scoring and rebounding averages and was one of the top players in the N.C.A.A. tournament. This season Hibbert is a leading Wooden Award candidate and was unanimously selected to the preseason all-Big East team.

''I'll say, 'Hey, good job,' or 'You're doing so well,' and he'll tell me he hasn't done anything yet.'' said Bryant, who still talks to Hibbert several times a week. ''I think in his mind he'll never be satisfied with where he is, because he knows what he's capable of.''

Late in the Hoyas' N.C.A.A. tournament loss to Florida, Hibbert watched as Gators Coach Billy Donovan shuttled big men in and out as if they were on a schedule. Hibbert tugged at his shorts and gasped for air, feeling that he did not do enough to prepare his body. He ultimately decided he should have eaten better, and significantly improved his diet in the off-season.

In July, Hibbert and his teammate Jeff Green joined other top college players as counselors at the Nike All-America basketball camp. At dinner one night, Hibbert said, the Florida forward Corey Brewer told him that if he had not converted his spinning 3-point play late in the Gators' regional semifinal against the Hoyas, Georgetown could have won the game.

Hibbert said the conversation, though lighthearted, was one-sided.

''Me and Jeff don't really like to talk about that, because we felt like we could've beaten them,'' Hibbert said. ''We kept to ourselves at the camp. The other guys liked to hang out, but they're our enemies now, you know?

''Me and Jeff would just work out, eat and go to bed early.''

Hibbert stuck with that sleep pattern throughout the summer, and he still tries to go to bed by 10:30 each night. But there is no longer a need for the black-and-white television and a spot on the floor, because now Hibbert is the one people will stay up late to watch.